The recent 13th anniversary of the first landing of men on the moon served to focus attention on benefits accruing from the space program. When he addressed Congress May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy called for a commitment to “land a man on the moon and return him safely to earth” in the decade of the sixties, and added; “No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important to the long-range exploration of space…” It is quite possible the benefits from space programs have exceeded considerably what Kennedy envisioned. America’s global recognition increased quickly, with more than half the world’s population believed to have become aware of the Apollo li mission and the landing of astronauts Neal H. Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin July 20, 1969 while Michael Collins piloted the command module in moon orbit. The National Air and Space Museum in Washington played host to 50 million visitors in its first five years – a continuing tribute to U.S. space and aeronautical programs. “Estimates of the return on our investment in space activities have ranged from 4 to 20 times our outlay, but much of this is difficult to quantify,” Sen. Harrison ”Jack” Schmitt. R-N. M. told the Senate July 20, anniversary of the 1969 moon landing. There’s no question that extending the base of technology from our space projects has supplied an impressive stream of goods and services. including communications. health care, computers, energy developments, consumer products and environmental protection. Said Schmitt: “We now take for granted our weather forecasting, global telecommunications network, hand calculators, etc. without a second thought that these services and products exist because of the space program.” The U.S. has demonstrated amply during the past year that it is still in the space business with four successful shuttle flights which have opened a new era of space exploration and exploitation. Also we’ve seen remarkable pictures from the Voyager II spacecraft’s rendezvous with Saturn, further demonstrating our commitment to technology expansion for economic, science, and defense purposes. The U.S. and the Russians no longer have the space field to themselves, of course. and the Office of Technology Assessment has reported: “International competition in space is a reality… Increased activities threaten the loss of significant revenue opportunities for the U.S. as well as a potential loss of prestige and influence.” Competitors in the space and aeronautical fields include, besides the Soviet Union, France. Japan, and the countries comprising the European Space Agency. Western Europeans are finalizing plans for a follow-on Spacelab program that may lead to a free-flying orbital laboratory in the 1990s, said Schmitt. “The Europeans are no longer constrained by a dependency on the United States.” This is only one example of other nations pursuing space and aeronautical technology because of its commercial and scientific value. As for the future, the New Mexico senator suggests that the U.S. has two choices: (1) Coast on past achievements with the threat of oncoming waves from the Soviets as well as free world nations; or (2) Demonstrate that our traditional commitment to technological achievement will continue. Having come a long way in the space program, Uncle Sam’s best course appears to be a continuing productive space policy to accomplish vital commercial, scientific and national security goals.